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Vermont set to require GMO labeling

Protesters in Denver rallied last summer at the state capitol, asking legislators to act on a GMO labeling rule. (File: Luke Runyon/Harvest Public Media)

Vermont is poised to become the first state to enact mandatory labeling of foods containing genetically modified organisms.

Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin said Wednesday he plans to sign a bill passed by Vermont lawmakers that would require foods containing genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, to be labeled as having been produced with “genetic engineering.”

If Shumlin signs the bill, it would kick in on July 1, 2016. That would make Vermont the first state in the country to require GMO labels. Maine and Connecticut both passed GMO labeling bills, but those laws don’t go into effect until surrounding states pass similar rules.

The Vermont bill would also bar foods containing GMOs from being labeled “all natural” or “natural,” Reuters reports.

Vermont’s GMO labeling bill will almost surely be challenged in court, according to the state’s attorney general, Bill Sorrell.

“I’ll be very surprised if we are not sued if the Legislature goes ahead and enacts a mandatory GMO labeling statute,” Sorrell told Vermont Public Radio. “A lot of people might not realize that this is arguably a free speech issue.”

Foods containing GMO ingredients are common in the U.S. Almost 90 percent of the corn planted in the U.S. is genetically modified. While much of that isn’t consumed by humans, a good portion of it is turned in to feed for livestock that are then eaten by humans.